Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Philip Pullman has plucked a rare, exotic and totally bewitching idea from thin air and has turned it into the kind of magical adventure that all children dream of, crackling and sparkling with the same thrilling intensity as the fireworks in Lila's dreams. Lila herself is divine--the perfect blend of light-footed heroine and stubborn adventurer--and The Firework- Maker's Daughter, illustrated by Nick Harris, is a deserving winner of the Smarties Book Prize. A simply superb, gripping, action-packed adventure that will live long in the memory of anyone who enters Lila's world. --Susan Harrison

Average Customer Rating:

warning for discerning parents

Customer Rating:

I bought this Pullman book thinking it might be suitable for my 10 yr old daughter. She is doing a project on China so I thought it might bring in an interesting aspect on Chinese culture, as the main character is a Chinese girl called Lila.- Not only did the prose not live up to it's review status, I was shocked to discover that the imagery and moral values are totally unsuitable for young children.(The book has been recommended for 8 year olds and up). Pullman's main push in his book seemed to be to subtly yet profoundly introduce the philosophies of atheism and humanism - with no hint of this on the cover. My main concerns as a parent are; 1) The book undermines a child's confidence in his parents;"Didn't your father tell you..." Razvani the 'chief Fire Demon' questions Lila. 2)States that all you need in life are your own abilities and "simple luck" thus denying a need for God. 3)The personalities of Satan, demons, the departed spirits of people,and the fickle 'river goddess' are made into figures of ridicule suggesting that all things supernatural are to be cast aside as some kind of joke. Lila is able to create her own 'fire demon' out of sulphur using her own imagination before he also melts away, saying "..everything was worth it for a moment of joy like this".( The illustration shows a scary picture of what looks like Satan amidst flames). 4)Quote: "The world itself is an illusion. Everything that exists flickers like a flame for a moment, and then vanishes. The only thing that lasts is change itself". This statement tells the reader not to believe in eternity but look only to evolutionary change and then death. It undermines faith and hope in such a subtly deceiving way I thought it was my duty to warn similarly concerned parents.

The Firework Maker's Daughter	Customer Rating:
This book is a really good read especially for people with a good sense of humour. It is an extremely good adventure story that's very exciting. I thought it was great!

deliciously funny and exciting

Customer Rating:

Lila longs to be a fire-work maker, but her father is appalled at the idea she might follow in his footsteps, so tells her she can only achieve her heart's desire if she sets off to ask the Fire fiend. Her best friend the elephant boy, riding on the white elephant Hamlet, follows hot on her heels because Lila doesn't know that to survive she needs water from the goddess of the lake... and even if they succeed, Lila's father may be executed by the furious emperor unless she wins the contest. Rich with comic incidents (especially the bandit turned chef)it is one of the very best books you could read aloud to a 5 year old or give to a 7 year old. A wonderful tale about how you can only get your heart's desire - especially as an artist - if you dare much and work for it, this is even better because of Peter Bailey's new illustrations for it.

A little cracker!	Customer Rating:
This book only took a couple of hours to read and was compelling. The imagery in the book is simply fabulous. Now which Pullman novel to read next??!!

Fantastic Fireworks	Customer Rating:
The firework maker's daughter is easy to read from 8 years and up. You will find it easy to get into and easy to finish you will be interested in the other books by Philip Pullman. This is a short one off story, which is a good introduction to the author's work.